Across My Fingers (The Feel of Your Skin)
by thelinksthatconnectus
Summary: Bill couldn't have asked for a better body. Spoilers for "Sock Opera"


Everything was so solid around him. Air brushed against his arms and the smell of dust filled his nose. A nose - what a delight it was to have one! What before had been nothing but a dusty old attic soon be same a treasure trove (and maybe that was how Dipper himself saw it).

Bill got down on his knees, feeling the hard wooden floor beneath him. It was hard against his knees, and he leaned down and ran a finger over the surface of the wooden floor.

"Uh," Dipper said.

Bill looked back up to him. Dipper was even paler and thinner than usual; he was like a gas, and Bill half expected him to vanish at any moment.

"Bill," he continued, raising an eyebrow. "What the heck are you doing?"

Bill bit Dipper's - no, his - lips. The grin was so hard to force back, it all but took over his entire face. "Just doing all the things you never do." His voice lowered. "Being in a body has taught me things. I can feel now, Dipper, and I feel everything that you have taken for granted."

He stood up, walking over to where the shattered laptop lay. It was nothing but a mess of various metals. Grabbing a small piece of metal from the floor, Bill picked it up and ran it through his thin fingers. The edge was sharp, but the sting of it was bearable. After a few moments, he flicked it across the room. It landed in the back corner, hitting the wall on its way.

Dipper flew over to it, his arms raised. "What did you do that for?" He frantically looked across the ground.

"Like I said, you've been taking many, many things for granted, Dipper Pines." Bill chuckled and picked up another piece of metal from the floor. This was bigger, but its edges weren't nearly as sharp. For a moment, he could only hold the cool metal in the palm of his hand and stare down at it.

Then, with a quick movement of his hands, he tore the thin metal in half. One piece was thrown to the corner opposite of Dipper, and the other he dropped on the ground. Raising his new foot, he dropped his sneaker's sole onto the offending metal. It made a sharp crunch and broke apart further, sending a smile across Bill's face.

"What the heck man?" Dipper reached for his now transparent hair. "Didn't you not already destroy that enough."

Bill tutted. "Oh, Dipper, my friend, you have a lot to learn." He stepped forward, placing his hands in his pockets. "When you're like me, you understand the joy of destruction. That laptop was your favorite toy, and I took it apart." It was so satisfying to hear his voice coming from what had formerly been the annoying brat's mouth.

"A toy? That held the secrets to Gravity Falls!"

"Don't get so serious." Bill chuckled. "Then again, I'm sure that you liked your body more than that laptop." Bill turned and walked over to the wooden windowsill. Though the attic was commonly used, no one ever bothered to dust it. Running his finger along the wood, he watched the surface go clear after he ran his finger over it. Looking down to his finger, he saw with two eyes that it was covered in dust.

When he walked, Bill's feet actually touched the ground.

Thump, thump, thump. Oh, he couldn't have been happier to have what must have been the loudest sneakers in Gravity Falls.

"This," Bill said, meeting the boy in the eyes and pointing down at his body, "is the real toy. And boy oh boy do I want to play."

For a moment, Dipper was surprisingly still. He was still for a short while, his jaw nearly hitting the ground, and arms weak at his sides.

"I love bodies." Bill grinned. "And I love it even more when my vessels, no, my puppets, are willing." He chuckled. "Now be a good boy and go float somewhere else. This isn't a place for a nobody like you."

Dipper scowled a and raised a fist; perhaps it would have been more threatening if he were actually solid.

"Looks like someone just can't appreciate puns." Bill warmed up his new shoulders by shrugging. "Oh well, there's no point in wasting my time trying to please everybody. I have things that I need to do, plans that need to be put into action."

He turned and ran, moving his new legs with the speed and energy that only a human youth could have.

"Hey, come back here, Bill!"

"Last time I checked, they called this guy Dipper!" Bill ran all the way down the stairs. One hand was on the bannister and the other on the wall. It rushed past him, smooth against the palms of his hand. Air rushed into him while he ran, as if Bill were breaking through an invisible wall. Every step sent a hard wave through Bill's feet.

Oh, what a joy it was to feel like a human again.

Behind him, Dipper cried out and tried to reach his former body. Knowing the kid, he would try to reach his body and steal it back.

It was a good thing that Bill was always one step ahead of him.


End file.
